Cleaning and Caring for Wooden Jewellery

Cleaning and Caring for Wooden Jewellery

Your jewellery should be stored safely in a soft cloth or suedette pouch. Keeping your items separated, so that they do not become tangled is important to prevent bending, breaking or scratching. It is not a good idea to wear your jewellery when you are gardening, cleaning, or playing sport. Swimming in either a pool or the sea can be particularly damaging because of the chlorine or salt content.

Always fix your make-up and hair before you put on your jewellery, this way you are less likely to damage it with perfume, hairspray, nail polish remover or any other beauty products. Cleaning products or garden chemicals can ruin jewellery.

If the beads are sealed with varnish or paint then these can be cleaned with a well wrung damp cloth. If the beads are waxed or untreated then CAUTION! Water or even polish may stain them so they must be cleaned with a dry cloth. So taking each in turn:

Sealed Wooden Beads:

Never soak or overly wet your wooden beads with either water, oils, jewellery cleansers or any solvents. Find a soft, clean dry cloth and gently rub your jewellery to bring up the sheen. If your jewellery is very dirty try a soft dry toothbrush and lightly brush away any dirt, the next stage is to take a soft cloth and dip it into cold water then wring it out really well until it feels dry. There should be no dripping water left. Take your wrung out cloth and wipe over the jewellery gently then use a dry cloth to dry it immediately after wiping. If you are cleaning more than one piece, clean each piece in turn rather than leaving the wooden beads to dry by themselves.

Unsealed/Untreated Wooden Beads:

These should be cleaned with a soft dry cloth. Moisture should be avoided as the porous nature of these items lead to damage. Furniture polishes and clear waxes may have a positive effect but you should test first as their use may lead to discolouration.